Brielse poisoner at the stake for killing thirteen

BRIELLE – Brielle is a woman sentenced to death for sure thirteen murders. She confessed that she poisoned victims. The woman is put on the stake.

maartje W. was caught, After the death of her sixth husband, Weaver Jan Jansen. Because he was always very healthy, was suspicious death.

From section on the body revealed that the man has been killed by poisoning. In his bowels a rat was detected. It was then W. arrested. She admitted that she did after a fight rat poison in the beer of the victim.

confessions

After her arrest W gave. clearly her role.

"I've Tuesday at the pharmacist Joris van Steenbergen for a halfpenny rats herb bought. That same evening I have two fingers of the stuff, together with sugar in the wine made from my husband, Jan Jansen. At night I rats herb at three o'clock in the beer and made him drink it given. Op woensdag 27 september, 'early in the morning, he was dead. " (Statement Maartje W.)

During the interrogation has W. not only the poisoning of her recently deceased husband, but also a whole series of other murders. They would have another five wives and eight children slain in recent decades.

W. came six years ago to live in Brielle. They married a few months later with the famous doctor Damiaen of Cruyskercke. When he was sick again after five years, she took rat poison his medication. The rest went through a meal, she had prepared for him.

The cell in which W Maartje. was locked, under the town hall of Brielle.

laundry list

But that did not stop. In Vierpolders and Rotterdam, where W. previously lived, she has killed three men. Also she has slain her own children. Mostly the same way with rat poison, as she confessed.

She walked for some time with the idea of ​​bringing the life her husband. She even had rat poison already brought home after an argument, but Jansen apologized, and W. not put her plan. But then there was fighting again later, she killed her husband yet.

The marriage with doctor Van Cruyskercke would not have been good.

Other husbands were sick, unemployed or inconvenient. The children were all difficult and tedious, showed Maartje W. Learn more.

Part of the statement about Maartje W., Regional Archive of Voorne Putten / Rozenburg.

Capital punishment

According to Justice was no other possible punishment for the woman than the toughest: the death sentence by means of the stake for this horrible and sample wrongdoing. one of her hands also had to be cut off, because they had thereby committed her crimes.

The city government bent on punishment. Chopping off the hand felt the board was too cute. But with the "vivid burnt to ashes and powder 'found she certainly justified.

A short time later, W. led to the outside, so that the penalty could be carried out. The market town hall was made a pyre.

The audience reacted in horror when they heard what the woman has confessed all. Then, the judgment was conducted and the stake was lit..

Hoe ging het verder?

But William was Maartje Daughter now a real serial killer? That is the question. Years later, in a broadcast of Forgotten Stories Radio Rijnmond denounced Pieter Spierenburg, emeritus professor of historical criminology at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the decision of the city council in Brielle.

"There is one thing came to light and she seems very readily known to have the rest", thus Spierenburg. "It could well be possible that there is some fantasy to have been in the game. There are examples of people who were weary, these offenses acquaintances of things they have not done. That can be seen as an indirect form of suicide. "

In the square where the pyre was now in white pebbles in Brielle says "Nyet sonder Godt", a warning from ancient times. Who said these words is not clear, but it is a reference to the death of William Daughter.